Containment System for Continuous Flow Hydrolizers

ABSTRACT

A material handling system for a hydrolyzer, comprising a material injection assembly further comprising a ram, a cylinder having a cylinder shaft for reciprocating the ram upon actuation of the cylinder shaft, a sleeve having an interior in which the ram reciprocates during use; a gate having a gate plate operable from between an open and a closed position; the gate plate has an aperture formed therethrough and the aperture is sized to enable a plug of compressed municipal solid waste to pass through it when the gate plate is in the open position; and a material exit assembly. The preferred material handling system further comprises a gate plate is interpositioned between the pair of space apart end plates and reciprocates freely therebetween. The end plates are configured to allow a plug of municipal solid waste to pass therethrough. The material exit assembly further comprises a processed material handling apparatus including a processed material compaction chamber; and a plunger assembly attached to the compaction chamber and further including a working cylinder having a cylinder shaft and a ram operably connected to the shaft enabling the ram to compact the processed material within the compaction chamber upon actuation of the cylinder and the extension of the shaft therefrom.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation application which claims benefit ofco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/232,434 filed Aug. 30,2002, entitled “Containment System for Continuous Flow Hydrolizers”,which is hereby incorporated by reference in it entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to hydrolyzers for processingorganic material (i.e., rendering) and further relates generally to theapparatuses used for the rendering of animal carcasses or parts thereofinto useful end products such as bone or feather meal. In addition, thepresent invention has proven particularly useful for processing (i.e.,rendering) municipal solid waste even though the materialcharacteristics of municipal solid waste and the rendering of animalcarcass parts is distinctly different.

The present invention is primarily directed to a pressure vesselapparatus in the general nature of a hydrolyzer used for the reduction,decomposition, destruction and/or conversion (hereinafter “rendering”)of organic wastes generated during meat and poultry production for humanconsumption.

The present invention also relates generally to an innovative method ofhandling municipal solid waste disposal, reclamation and recycling.Municipal solid waste (hereinafter “solid waste”) disposal can begenerally defined as the disposal of normally solid or semi-solidmaterials resulting from human and animal activities that are useless orunwanted, and not hazardous or toxic.

Solid wastes may be further classified in two groups as follows:“municipal solid waste” which is decomposable wastes from food, and“rubbish” which is either combustible wastes (such as paper, wood, andcloth) or non-combustible wastes (such as metal, glass, plastics andceramics).

The present invention is primarily directed to a system and apparatusfor reducing and converting (hereinafter “processing”) of solid wastecomprised of municipal solid waste and rubbish produced in the home(hereinafter “Municipal Solid Waste” or “MSW”) and the equipment forcarrying out such processing into a reusable end product or article.

Description of the Related Art

Carcass disposal at meat and poultry farms is an important environmentalissue. Some of the standard methods, such as burial and incineration, nolonger meet the needs of operators or existing regulations. For example,prompted by recent water and air quality regulations, the poultryindustry in some states and countries is giving carcass disposal toppriority by supporting efforts to promote and adopt alternative disposalmethods. One environmentally sound alternative for the disposal of deadbirds is conventional rendering. Rendering is a reclamation processdesigned to recover almost 100 percent of all inedible raw poultrymaterial and render it useful.

Rendering is a heating process that extracts usable ingredients, such asprotein meals and fats. Rendering has been used for many years toconvert the inedible results from the slaughtering process into meatmeal, bone meal, and feather meal—all of which are highly valued asanimal feed ingredients. Today, rendering plants supply 85 percent ofall fats and oils used in the United States and export 35 percent of thefats and oils used worldwide. The rendering plant is a vital linkbetween the meat and poultry grower and industries which use fats andoils.

The rendering industry relies on the hydrolyzer apparatus as the cookingvessel to perform the actual rendering process. However, theseconventional hydrolyzer apparatuses which are commonly used as thecooking vessel in the rendering industry do not work when attempting torender various wastes such as municipal solid waste (“MSW”). Theseconventional vessels are prone to repeated and continuous clogging whentrying to process waste material such as MSW and thus require repeateddown time intervals and disassembly to empty the interior of the vessel.

Municipal solid waste disposal can be generally defined as the disposalof normally solid or semi-solid materials resulting from human andanimal activities that are useless and unwanted and not hazardous ortoxic. Solid wastes may be further classified in the following manner:“garbage” which is decomposable wastes from food; “rubbish” which isdecomposable wastes, either combustible (such as paper, wood, and cloth)or non-combustible (such as metal, glass, plastics and ceramics).

It has become known that the traditional rendering devices such ashydrolyzers do not work with all materials and fail miserably whentrying to process MSW. Similarly, the know how associated withconventional rendering processes is not applicable to a processing ofcertain wastes such as MSW in a similar manner. Until now, a suitablehydrolyzer for sustained continuous flow and rendering of raw wastessuch as MSW has not been invented.

In all known methods of solid waste disposal (e.g., reduction, treatmentor resource recovery), the resultant end product may further includemicrobes or microorganisms that require careful consideration andhandling prior to disposal. In such cases the by-products are believedto remain waste materials not suitable for use or transformation intouseful articles.

The art to which the invention relates generally includes U.S. Pat. No.6,017,475 granted to Cantrell and incorporated by reference as if fullyset forth herein. The '475 patent is directed to a process transformingmunicipal solid waste into useful materials.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Preprocessed municipal solid waste is then transferred, eitherautomatically or manually, into a hydrolyzer by the components of thepresent invention. The hydrolyzer metamorphically processes thepreprocessed volume of MSW into a useful end product. The preferredblo-reactor is similar in appearance to a conventional hydrolyzer, butthe two are distinctly different devices. The preferred hydrolyzerapparatus is also available from Bouldin & Lawson, Inc. and is a noveland nonobvious design.

In sum, the hydrolyzer includes an outer containment vessel having anexterior jacket and an interior pressure vessel. An airspace existsbetween the interior vessel and the jacket. A heated steam inlet andexit are attached to the jacket and communicate with the air space. Thepreprocessed material is introduced into the interior pressure vessel ofthe hydrolyzer automatically by an inventive gate system and eitherbefore or after its introduction therein, the operator introduces heatedsteam into the air space surrounding the interior vessel to heat theinterior vessel and the preprocessed municipal solid waste inside it.

A preferred temperature of the steam is 350 degrees Fahrenheit which,depending upon the preselected interior volume of the hydrolyzer, has anassociated internal operating pressure. The present inventionautomatically transfers the preprocessed material such as municipalsolid waste from system component to system component in a continuousfashion.

Of course, the process of the present invention could be carried out atother temperature and pressure ranges, but the associated time forcompletion of the inventive process at these other temperature andpressures will vary significantly. That is, the greater the temperatureand pressure in the hydrolyzer, the faster the chemical reactions occur.However, a practical upper and lower limit to pressure and temperatureexists.

The pressure and temperature, in conjunction with the composition of theMSW, acts as the catalyst to speed the chemical reaction ofdecomposition of the MSW within the vessel. This high temperature andpressure environment causes the MSW to rapidly decompose into its basicconstituent elements, and allows them to recombine or remain in theirorganic cellulose form, and it kills bacteria once living within theMSW.

When the processing is complete, the processed aggregate cellulose isremoved from the hydrolyzer. The aggregate end product is a mixture ofcellulose fibers and other elements present in the MSW prior toprocessing. The aggregate cellulose may be dried, compressed or extrudedor otherwise used manufacture useful articles. For example, theaggregate cellulose can also be used to manufacture plasticene crossties, and building materials such as bricks, blocks, and the like.

The present invention may be summarized in a variety of ways one ofwhich is the following: a material handling system for a hydrolyzer orhydrolyzer, comprising a material injection assembly further comprisinga ram, a cylinder having a cylinder shaft for reciprocating the ram uponactuation of the cylinder shaft, a sleeve having an interior in whichthe ram reciprocates during use; a gate having a gate plate operablefrom between an open and a closed position; the gate plate has anaperture formed therethrough and the aperture is sized to enable a plugof compressed municipal solid waste to pass through it when the gateplate is in the open position; and a material exit assembly.

The preferred embodiment further includes switch means for opening andclosing the gate plate depending upon the reciprocal position of theram. A plurality of proximity switches for determining the discreteposition of the ram are also provided. An embodiment of the materialhandling further comprises a hopper supported by the sleeve and havingan open bottom which communicates with an opening in the sleeve, a ramhaving an exterior shape similar to the interior of the sleeve in orderto block the opening in the sleeve when municipal solid waste iscompressed within the sleeve. A tenon mounted to the cylinder andpositioned to touch the contact switches during reciprocation of the ramto actuate the switches and the opening or closing of the gate plate isalso provided. A platform for supporting the material injection assemblyin axial alignment with the horizontal axis of the hydrolyzer is alsoprovided.

The gate further comprises a pair of space apart end plates and the gateplate is interpositioned between the pair of space apart end plates andreciprocates freely therebetween. The end plates are configured to allowa plug of municipal solid waste to pass therethrough.

The preferred processed material handling apparatus, or FLUFF handlingapparatus, further comprises a processed material compaction chamber;and a plunger assembly attached to the compaction chamber and furtherincluding a working cylinder having a cylinder shaft and a ram operablyconnected to the shaft enabling the ram to compact processed materialwithin the compaction chamber upon actuation of the cylinder and theextension of the shaft therefrom.

The present invention may also be summarized as follows: a materialhandling system for a hydrolyzer or hydrolyzer, comprising a materialinjection assembly, a material exit assembly further comprising a gatehaving a gate plate operable from between an open and a closed position,wherein the gate plate has an aperture formed therethrough and theaperture is sized to enable processed material within the hydrolyzer orhydrolyzer to pass through it when the gate plate is in the openposition and exit the vessel.

Yet another way of summarizing the present invention is as follows: amaterial injection assembly and a material exit assembly and eachfurther comprising a gate having a gate plate operable from between anopen and a closed position and the gate plate has an aperture formedtherethrough and the aperture is sized to enable a plug of compressedmunicipal solid waste to pass through it when the gate plate is in theopen position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a hydrolyzer;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the inlet infeed section of the hydrolyzershown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the inlet infeed section shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4A is a partial cross-sectional view of the inlet infeed portionshown in FIG. 2 with the ram and gate members shown in a first position;

FIG. 4B is a partial cross-sectional view of the inlet infeed portionshown in FIG. 2 with the ram member shown in a second position and thegate member shown in the first position;

FIG. 4C is a partial cross-sectional view of the inlet infeed portionshown in FIG. 2 with the ram member shown in a third position and thegate member shown in the first position;

FIG. 4D is a partial cross-sectional view of the inlet infeed portionshown in FIG. 2 with the ram member shown in the third position and thegate member shown in the second position;

FIG. 4E is a partial cross-sectional view of the inlet infeed portionshown in FIG. 2 with the ram member shown in a first position and thegate member shown in the second position;

FIGS. 5A and 5C are top views of the optional material exit processedmaterial handling portion of the present invention; and

FIGS. 5B and 5D are end views of the optional material exit processedmaterial handling portion shown with the optional material shuttlemechanism shown in a first position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

With reference to FIG. 1, a hydrolyzer is designated generally by thereference numeral 36. Hydrolyzer 36 includes a cylindrical pressurevessel 38, and a material injection assembly designated generally by thereference numeral 40. Platform 41 elevates and supports the variouscomponents above the ground.

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the material injection assembly 40 furtherincludes a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 42 operably connected to aram 44. An infeed regulator gate assembly is also provided and isdesignated generally by the reference numeral 46. The gate assembly 46includes a vertically (as shown but also be at any angle) orientedpneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 48 operably connected to a sliding gateassembly 50 which opens and closes an internal passageway into thehydrolyzer 38 at an inlet end 52 which is opposite the exit end 54having exit port 56.

FIGS. 4A-4E are provided to illustrate the operation of the materialinjection assembly 40 during use. Cylinder 42 further includes acylinder shaft 43 operably coupled to the ram 44 by a pin engagement 45such that the stroke of the shaft 43 is immediately transferred to theram 44 which moves inside the pipe sleeve 47 having a first open end 49in communication with the hopper 34 and a second open end coincidingwith the hydrolyzer inlet 52.

The sliding gate assembly 50 further comprises opposing end plates 60and a reciprocating gate plate 62 interpositioned therebetween. The gateplate 62 is operably connected to the cylinder 48 at the shaft coupling53 of the shaft 51 and slides vertically between the end plates 60 whichare secured to the pipe sleeve 47 via attachment collars 64. Municipalsolid waste plug 66 is formed within the pipe sleeve 47 by theintroduction of the loose, preprocessed, municipal solid waste 68entering the hopper 34 and feeding into the sleeve at opening 49. Theplug 66 is moved into the hydrolyzer at inlet end 52 and rapidlydisassociates into a less dense mass of material 69 for processing.

In use, the proximity contact switches 70 transmit open and closesignals to a control station (not shown) when the tenon 42 touches aportion of the switch 70 as the shaft 43 moves reciprocally. Thematerial injection assembly 40, the proximity switches 70, and thepreferred processed material handling assembly 100 (FIGS. 5A-5D) aremore thoroughly described in the Mode of Operation set forth below.

With reference to FIGS. 5A-5D, the municipal solid waste 69 processedwithin the hydrolyzer 38 exits the vessel at port 56 and enters theprocessed material handling apparatus 100 at its inlet 58. Inlet 58further includes a vessel coupling collar 59 configured for secureattachment to a cooperating collar associated with the hydrolyzer 38(see FIG. 1).

The preferred embodiment of the processed material handling apparatus100 includes a compaction chamber 102 which receives the processedmunicipal solid waste or FLUFF material (FLUFF is a trademark of BouldinCorporation, McMinnville, Tenn.) exiting the hydrolyzer 38 andcompresses it via the plunger assembly 104. Plunger assembly 104 furtherincludes a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 106 having a shaft 108attached to a ram 109. The plunger assembly 104 is securely attached tothe compaction chamber 102 by a mating cooperating collar 110. Fins 112provide structural support for the compaction tube 113 to resist bendingand maintain the alignment with the ram 109 which reciprocates therein.

The force of the ram 109 on the FLUFF material is sufficient to producea compressed block of FLUFF material (not shown). Block cutter assembly124 includes a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 126 attached at one endto a frame 120 at cross-member 125. Cylinder shaft 127 is operablyattached to the knife 128 which slides between opposing halves of the120. Knife 128 further includes an aperture 132 which is configured tobe aligned with the compaction tube 113.

Containment assembly 114 consists of a truss 115 to which a containmentcylinder 116 is attached. Cylinder shaft 117 terminates in a stop plate119 which serves as the backstop of the ram 109 enabling the FLUFFinterpositioned between the ram 109 and stop plate 119 to form acompressed block having the exterior dimension resembling the interiorconfiguration of the compaction tube 113 during use.

Wheeled carriage assemblies 134 and 136 enable the FLUFF handlingapparatus to be supported and mobile as the knife 128 cuts the compactedFLUFF into individual blocks after the compaction tube 113 if full ofcompressed material as determined by the bottom of the stroke of thecylinder shaft 117 which is overpowered by the stroke of the cylindershaft 108 during the compaction of the block.

Mode of Operation.

With reference to FIGS. 4A and 4E, the ram 44 is in its fully extendedhydrolyzer loading position. The plug 66 is being introduced into thehydrolyzer 38 (FIG. 4E) with the gate plate 62 in its raised position inorder to align its aperture 63 with the interior of the pipe sleeve 47.The plug 66 then rapidly dissociates into a less dense mass asdesignated by the numeral 69 and the gate plate 62 closes by beingdriven vertically downward in the drawing.

With reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B the ram 44 is then withdrawn from itsfully extended first position (4A) to its fully extracted secondposition (4B). In this position, preprocessed municipal solid waste 68is allowed to freely fall from the hopper 34 into the pipe sleeve 47prior to forming a complete plug 66 (compare FIGS. 4B and 4C withrespect to the plug 66). It is important to note, further extraction ofthe ram 44 is prevented by the proximity switch 70 being actuated by thetenon 72 traveling with the cylinder shaft 43. In like manner theproximity switches 70 are actuated at each of the three ram positions inorder to coordinate the movement of the gate plate 62 in relationthereto.

With reference to FIGS. 4B and 4C, the ram 44 is pushed to its thirdposition closing off the inlet 49 from the hopper 34 and forming thecompeted plug 66 as indicated by the plug seam 67 of FIG. 4C. The gateplate 62 is still in its closed position allowing the plug to beuniformly compressed and eliminate the seam 67. With reference to FIGS.4C and 4D, the gate plate 62 is raised by actuation of the cylindershaft 51 enabling the pipe sleeve 47 to communicate with the interior ofthe hydrolyzer 38 prior to the forceful insertion of the plug 66therein.

With reference to FIGS. 4D and 4E, the plug is driven into the interiorfor the hydrolyzer by the ram 44 until the ram 44 reaches its fullyextended position as determined by the contact between the proximityswitch 70 and tenon 72. At this time the gate plate 62 closes (FIG. 4E).

With reference to FIGS. 5A-5D, after a sufficient amount of FLUFF isreleased from the hydrolyzer 38 and input into the FLUFF handlingapparatus 100, the ram 109 compresses the FLUFF into a block asdescribed above. The compression and compaction of FLUFF continues untilsuch time as the force of the block onto the stop plate 119 overcomesthe force of the cylinder 116 driving it to its fully compressedposition (FIGS. 5A and 5B).

With reference to FIGS. 5C and 5D, the cylinder 126 forces the knife 128to cut the compacted block into a discrete size depending upon thevolume of the compaction tube 113 which travels with the knife as shownin FIG. 5C. In this position, the block may be expelled into an optionalexpansion chamber 150 where it may be allowed to cool or be dispersed.

1. A material handling system for a hydrolyzer, comprising: a materialinjection assembly further comprising: a first ram having exteriorshape; a sleeve having an interior in which the first ram reciprocatesduring use, the interior having an interior shape; a gate having a gateplate operable from between an open and a closed position whereinmaterial may exit the sleeve when the gate plate is in the openposition; and the exterior shape of the first ram is similar to theinterior of the sleeve in order to block the opening in the sleeve whenmunicipal solid waste is compressed within the sleeve; the hydrolyzerreceiving the material from the sleeve; and a material exit assemblyreceiving material from the hydrolyzer comprising: a second ram; and acompaction chamber in which the second ram reciprocates during use. 2.The material handling system of claim 1, further comprising: switchmeans for opening and closing the gate plate depending upon thereciprocal position of one or more of the rams.
 3. The material handlingsystem of claim 2, wherein the switch means includes a plurality ofproximity switches for determining the discrete position of one or bothof rams.
 4. The material handling system of claim 2, further comprising:one or more tenons attached to one or both of the rams and positioned totouch the switches during reciprocation of the rams to actuate theswitches and the opening or closing of the gate plate.
 5. The materialhandling system of claim 1, further comprising: a hopper supported bythe sleeve and having an open bottom which communicates with an openingin the sleeve.
 6. The material handling system of claim 1, furthercomprising: a platform for supporting the material injection assembly inaxial alignment with the horizontal axis of a hydrolyzer.
 7. Thematerial handling system of claim 1, wherein the gate further comprises:a pair of end plates.
 8. The material handling system of claim 7,wherein: the gate plate is interpositioned between the pair of endplates and reciprocates freely therebetween.
 9. The material handlingsystem of claim 8, wherein the end plates are configured to allowmaterial to pass therethrough when the gate plate is in the openposition.
 10. A material handling system for a hydrolyzer, comprising: amaterial injection assembly further comprising: a first ram; a sleevehaving an interior in which the first ram reciprocates during use; and agate having a gate plate operable from between an open and a closedposition wherein material may exit the sleeve when the gate plate is inthe open position; the hydrolyzer receiving the material from thesleeve; and a material exit assembly receiving material from thehydrolyzer comprising: a second ram; a compaction chamber in which thesecond ram reciprocates during use; and a processed material handlingapparatus.
 11. The material handling apparatus of claim 10, wherein theprocessed material handling apparatus further comprises: a processedmaterial compaction chamber; and a plunger assembly attached to thecompaction chamber and further including a working cylinder having acylinder shaft and a ram operably connected to the shaft enabling theram to compact processed material within the compaction chamber uponactuation of the cylinder and the extension of the shaft therefrom. 12.A material handling system for a hydrolyzer, comprising: a materialinjection assembly for sending material into the hydrolyzer comprising asleeve having an interior for receiving pre-processed material, theinterior having an interior shape; and a ram that reciprocates withinthe sleeve during use, a material exit assembly receiving material fromthe hydrolyzer comprising a compaction chamber for receiving processedmaterial; a second ram for compacting processed material within thecompaction chamber; a gate having a gate plate operable from between anopen and a closed position; wherein processed material may enter thecompaction chamber when the gate plate is in the open position; andwherein the exterior shape is similar to the interior of the sleeve inorder to block the opening in the sleeve when municipal solid waste iscompressed within the sleeve.
 13. The material handling system of claim12, further comprising: switch means for opening and closing the gateplate.
 14. The material handling system of claim 13, wherein the switchmeans includes: a plurality of proximity switches for determining thediscrete position of one or both of the rams.
 15. The material handlingsystem of claim 14, wherein the material injection assembly furthercomprises: a hopper supported by the sleeve and having an open bottomwhich communicates with an opening in the sleeve.
 16. The materialhandling system of claim 13, wherein the gate further comprises: a pairof end plates.
 17. The material handling system of claim 16, wherein:the gate plate is interpositioned between the pair of end plates andreciprocates freely therebetween.
 18. The material handling system ofclaim 17, wherein: the end plates are configured to allow processedmaterial to pass therethrough when the gate plate is in the openposition.
 19. The material handling system of claim 12, furthercomprising: a platform for supporting the material injection assembly inaxial alignment with a horizontal axis of the hydrolyzer.
 20. A materialhandling system for a hydrolyzer, comprising: a material injectionassembly for sending material into the hydrolyzer comprising a sleevehaving an interior for receiving pre-processed material; and a ram thatreciprocates within the sleeve during use, a material exit assemblyreceiving material from the hydrolyzer comprising a compaction chamberfor receiving processed material; a second ram for compacting processedmaterial within the compaction chamber; a gate having a gate plateoperable from between an open and a closed position; a processedmaterial handling apparatus; and wherein processed material may enterthe compaction chamber when the gate plate is in the open position. 21.The material handling apparatus of claim 20, wherein the FLUFF handlingapparatus further comprises: a processed material compaction chamber;and a plunger assembly attached to the compaction chamber and furtherincluding a working cylinder having a cylinder shaft and a ram operablyconnected to the shaft enabling the ram to compact processed materialwithin the compaction chamber upon actuation of the cylinder and theextension of the shaft therefrom.
 22. A material handling system for ahydrolyzer, comprising: a material injection assembly comprising asleeve for receiving pre-processed material and including and interiorshape; a ram having an exterior shape similar to the interior of thesleeve in order to block the opening in the sleeve when municipal solidwaste is compressed within the sleeve; and a first gate having a firstgate plate operable from between an open and a closed position, whereinthe material may pass therethrough when the first gate plate is in theopen position; and the material passing through the first gate plateinto the hydrolyzer; a material exit assembly comprising: a second gatehaving a second gate plate operable from between an open and a closedposition wherein processed material may pass therethrough from thehydrolyzer when the second gate plate is in the open position; andwherein the process is continuous.
 23. The material handling system ofclaim 22, further comprising: a first ram that reciprocates within thesleeve during use; a second rame that reciprocates within a chamber ofthe material exit assembly; and switch means for opening and closing oneor both of the gate plates depending upon the reciprocal position of oneor both of the rams.
 24. The material handling system of claim 23,wherein the switch means includes: a plurality of proximity switches fordetermining the discrete position of one or both of the rams.
 25. Thematerial handling system of claim 26, further comprising: at least onetenon connected to at least on of the rams and positioned to touch theswitches during reciprocation of the rams to actuate the switches andthe opening or closing of one or both of the gate plates.
 26. Thematerial handling system of claim 22, further comprising: a hoppersupported by the sleeve and having an open bottom which communicateswith an opening in the sleeve.
 27. The material handling system of claim22, further comprising: a platform for supporting the material injectionassembly in axial alignment with a horizontal axis of the hydrolyzer.28. The material handling system of claim 22, wherein at least one ofthe gates further comprises: a pair of end plates.
 29. The materialhandling system of claim 28, wherein the gate plate of at least one ofthe gates is interpositioned between the pair of end plates andreciprocates freely therebetween.
 30. The material handling system ofclaim 29, wherein: the end plates are configured to allow material topass therethrough.
 31. A material handling system for a hydrolyzer,comprising: a material injection assembly comprising a sleeve forreceiving pre-processed material; and a first gate having a first gateplate operable from between an open and a closed position, wherein thematerial may pass therethrough when the first gate plate is in the openposition; and the material passing through the first gate plate into thehydrolyzer; and a material exit assembly comprising: a second gatehaving a second gate plate operable from between an open and a closedposition wherein processed material may pass therethrough from thehydrolyzer when the second gate plate is in the open position; and aprocessed material handling apparatus; and wherein the process iscontinuous.
 32. The material handling apparatus of claim 31, wherein theFLUFF handling apparatus further comprises: a processed materialcompaction chamber; and a plunger assembly attached to the compactionchamber and further including a working cylinder having a cylinder shaftand a ram operably connected to the shaft enabling the ram to compactprocessed material within the compaction chamber upon actuation of thecylinder and the extension of the shaft therefrom.